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8/9/2019 Sangat Sindh Report on Seminar on Child Rights
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Seminar Report: Child Rights and Role of Civil Society
Child Rights and Role of Civil
Society
April 15, 2007,
Serverabad, Nawabshah
Seminar Report
By
Nisar Brohi
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1. An Introduction
2. Objectives of Seminar
3. Seminar proceedings
3.1 Dr. Ghulam Rasool, Health Educationalist
3.2 Nisar Brohi, Director, Sangat
Development Foundation (SDF)
3.3 K. K. Brohi, Branch Manager, SRSP
3.4 Nazir Ahmed, Educationalist3.5 Akbar Gul Keerio, Journalist
3.6 Ashfaque Gupchani, Political Activist
3.7 Inayat Brohi, Poet & Writer
4. Recommendations of the Seminar
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1.1 An Introduction
It is matter of fact that children are the
vulnerable segment of any society, therefore, they
require special attention not only in their
upbringing in early childhood but they also direneed to have focused attention in their emotional
and socio-educational development in the early
years of the life. In the developed societies of
the world, no doubt that a lot of attention is paid
by the stakeholders of the society on the proper
child protection and development, but on the other
side, in the under development societies, children
are not given even due attention neither by the
state governments nor over all the society has a
due role for the protection and development of the
children and their basic rights in their respective
social milieus.
When we take stock of our society in Pakistan, the
state as
well as
society
has
bitterly
failed toprotect
the
rights of
children.
Neither
the state
governmen
t has fulfilled its responsibility to give proper
attention on the socio-educational development ofthe child community nor the society has created any
pro child environment where they could have
conducive atmosphere for their career and
personality boost up.
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While keeping in mind the growing trends of
violence against children and also an unfavorable
social atmosphere for the children especially in
our remote rural areas, Sangat Development
Foundation (SDF), being responsible civil society
entity has
organized a one-
day seminar on
Child Rights and
Role of Civil
Society at
Serverabad,
Nawabshah, in
order to discuss
the role of thestate and its
machinery for the
child rights
protection as well as the role of the civil society
and also to sensitize the responsible social actors
regarding their civil and moral duties for the
protection and development of a children community
specially living in the rural society.
2. Objectives of the Seminar
To discuss the current socio-educational scenarioof children in Nawabshah district.
To create awareness regarding child rights at thegrass root level.
To discuss the emotional and socio-educationalconditions of the children living in the remote
and backward rural areas with stakeholders of the
society of Nawabshah district. To chalk out strategy to combat collectively the
burgeoning violence and crime against children in
the Nawabshah district.
To Sensitize social actors on the child issuesand to campaign for the protection of child
rights.
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3. Seminar Proceedings
3.1 Dr. Ghulam Rasool, Health Educationalist
Dr. Ghulam Rasool in his presentation on topic
Child Rights and Socialization Process dwelt in
length on the socio- health problems of the
children especially living in the rural areas. Dr
said that rural children have been facing
multidimensional problems, ranging from parents
attitude to socio-educational and also
unavailability of basic health facilities. Due to
unawareness, the parents dont know how to treat
their respective children even in their houses. It
has been observed in the rural society that theparents dont have strong bonds of friendly
relationship and interaction with their children,
which needs for the personality formation and
confidence building process in the early years in
the childhood. So, due to unfriendly social
atmosphere in the house, mostly the rural children
used to live under depression and astray.
Dr. further said that early childhood care and
education supports childrens survival, growth,development and learning-including health,
nutrition and hygiene and cognitive, social,
physical and emotional development-from birth to
entry into primary school in formal conditions.
It has also been witnessed that the children dont
have suitable and favorable atmosphere in our
educational institutions in the rural areas. Mostly
the government schools either are closed or
occupied by the Waderas (landlord) to use as their
otaq (Guest House). Meanwhile the teachers
appointed by the government in the rural areas also
not attending the school regularly, so, the future
of the rural children in Nawabshah is at the stake,
Dr. said
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The rural children are suffering from many curable
as well as deadly diseases but the government has
bitterly failed to provide them cure. Most
government dispensaries are either closed or having
acute shortage of the regular medicines even the
ORS packets to meet the emergency situation in
these rural areas. There is badly need to have more
dispensaries/BHUs in the rural areas, and also
suitable health facilities should be provided to
the rural community in Nawabshah district.
Dr said that there is badly need to create
awareness encompass very diverse arrangements, from
parenting programmes to community-based child care,
centre based provision and formal pre-primaryeducation, often in school.
There is also need to a sustainable policy planning
for the protection of child rights, employing
different strategies, as direct
interaction/dialogue with the parents at the
local/village level to get them aware about the
child rights and educate them that how they should
deal with the children in their respective houses
and adopt the measures to develop and promote theirtalent in the early childhood. Same time, there is
also strong need to make advocacy with the local as
well as district level educational and social
institutions and also with the district government
in order to educate them regarding rights of the
children including their socio-educational and
health problems in the rural areas. As the holistic
approach should be adopted to work for the
sustainable solution of the problems of children
living in the rural areas on the priority bases.
3.2 Mr. Nisar Brohi, Director, Sangat Development
Foundation (SDF)
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Mr. Brohi first welcomed the participants and said
that Sangat Development Foundation is not for a
profit and non-governmental entity, working closely
with vulnerable rural communities in the district
on their socio-economic and health related issues.
Being a responsible social organization, has
organised this seminar on rights of the children
not only to highlight the problems of the children
of the rural community but also work with community
for their sustainable solution.
While speaking further in the seminar on topic
Child Rights and State Responsibilities, he
further said that a particular care for the rights
of children have been enshrined in the Declarationof the Rights of the Child adopted by the General
Assembly on 20 November 1959, and all state are its
signatories. As it is clearly mentioned in the
Declaration of the Rights of the Child that the
Child by reason of his physical and mental
immaturity, needs special safeguard and care,
including appropriate legal protection, before as
well as after birth.
State parties shall respect and ensure the rightsset forth in the present convention to each child
within their Jurisdiction without discrimination of
any kind, irrespective of the childs or his or her
parents or legal guardians race, colour, sex
language, religion, political or other opinion,
national, ethnic or social origin, property,
disability, birth or other status.
Mr. Brohi said that states recognize the right of
the child to the enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of health and to facilities for
the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of
health and also states are bound to provide access
to education and to support in the use of basic
knowledge of child health and nutrition. No child
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shall be subjected to torture or other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
States also agreed that the education of the child
shall be directed to the development of the childs
personality, talents and mental and physical
abilities to the fullest potential.
Despite of to be the signatories, that most of the
states have bitterly failed in the protection of
the child rights in the jurisdictions, Mr. Brohi
said
In this regard he discussed the case of Pakistan,
and said that there is bitter violation of Child
Rights at all levels in the country but thegovernment has failed to give shelter to the child
community especially of the rural and backward
areas. It is the government duty to provide
security and safety to all but the children of
nation has be given special attention in their
emotional and socio-educational career especially
in the early period of the life. But here, the
children community has been passing through
critical conditions from violence and abuse
incidents to kidnapping and killing, theseconditions have played havoc with their future.
3.3 Mr. K.K. Brohi, Branch Manager, Sindh Rural
Support Program(SRSP)
Mr. K.K Brohi, while speaking on the Child Rights
and Domestic Violence said that family is
considered the first institution of any society,
and it plays a vital role especially in the early
child development phases. But as for as our social
fabric is concerned, some decades back, our family
system was very strong and used to be considered a
heaven for the proper child care and development.
But with the passage of time, our family system has
been broken down and now a days passing through the
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very critical phase of its evolution. Due to
poverty-stricken conditions of the rural community,
and other manifold socio-economic problems, the
parents have been suffering from many socio-
psychological problems, so they are mostly unable
to give proper attention to their offspring.
Due to growing trend of domestic violence in the
rural community have had disastrous effects on the
mind of the children. When a child living in the
violence proven environment, he/she not only
getting disturbance but also losses confidence and
trust once for all, said Mr. K.K.
To get repose the fastly losing confidence, thereis badly need to have a comprehensive campaign for
the child violence containment and other anti child
activities at the domestic level in the rural
areas.
3.4. Mr.Nazir Ahmed, EducationalistWhile discussing on the topic Violence against
Child and Our Educational Institutions Mr. Ahmed
said that any person or nation always grow anddevelop in the harmonious and peaceful conditions
rather than violent and virulent environment. The
violence always stagnates and even reverses socio-
economic and intellectual development of an
individual or nation. Simultaneously, the violence
in our educational institutions has had very bad
effects on the career and confidence builds up of
the children.
The teacher should be a role model for child, and
the teacher should have well-established
interaction with any child to whom he is teaching
and guiding. A teacher should handle a child with
proper and fatherly manner. The teacher, with
curriculum activities, should also inculcate the
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positive and healthy values of the society in a
child/student of the institution.
But it has been observed that our educational
institutions practicing violence culture, which has
had a disastrous impact on the socio-psychological
development of any young child. He suggested that
stern measures should be taken to ensure the
violence free environment in our educational
educations. There is also need for a comprehensive
awareness campaign regarding the ill effects of the
violence culture on the child and its future, so
the teachers should be made aware that they should
take care and restrain to the punishment of the
students studying in the institutions.
3.5 Mr. Akbar Gul Keerio, Journalist
Mr. Akbar while speaking on Child Rights and Role
of the Media said that the media should play
effective role for the protection of child rights
especially in the rural areas, where violation of
the child rights is the order of the day.
Being a working journalist has been covering thebackward and remote areas of the Nawabshah
district, has a witnessed of cruel treatment of the
innocent children in the rural areas. A large
number of cases were reported of abducting,
torture, molestation, rape, maltreatment, and
kidnapping and killing for the ransom of the
innocent children in the remote areas of the
district Nawabshah.
He further said that there was also a number ofviolence against of children cases in our
educational institutions. The teachers working in
the government educational institutions used to
abuse and also use immoral language in the
education institutions, and also physical and
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emotional molestation-taking place as normal
activity.
He appealed to the stakeholders of civil society to
jointly work for the protection and promotion of
the child rights in the rural areas as well as
advocacy with the legislative and executive
machinery of the local, provincial and federal
agencies that the basic child rights should be
ensured.
It is the demand of the time that if we want to
prosperous and developed nation than we should have
a huge investment on the next generation, means on
children of the country, said Mr. Akbar.
The local, and national media managers should come
forward to play their due role in the highlighting
the violence against children incidents occurring
in the rural areas at the national and
international level, as the rights of child in the
country should be ensured. The print media,
especially the electronic media could play role
paramount important part in creating awareness
regarding child rights especially in the ruralareas, he added.
3.6 Mr. Ashfaque Gupchani, Political Activist
Mr. Gupchani, while speaking on Child Rights and
Role of Political Parties said thatthe time has
now come that the political parties should also
join the civil society groups, which are working on
the child rights and development. The political
parties should adopt clear and sound policy toensuring the rights of children in the country.
He criticized on the political parties role
regarding the rights of children protection and in
the legislation and execution of the pro child
polices in the country.
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He was of the opinion that it is the need of time
that at least social and political groups should
have consultative working group at the local level,
on the issues and rights of the children in
Nawabshah. If any where violation of child rights
takes place, the groups immediately chalk out plan
and launch struggle for the safely and security of
the child victim and also help the victim party to
fight its legal battle. The consultative group on
child rights should also work for the promotion and
protection of child rights in the district.
3.7 Mr. Inayat Brohi, Poet & Writer
Mr. Inayat Brohi, the young thinkers and writertalked on Child Rights and Child Labour in the
rural areas of the Nawabshah district.
He said that there is a bitter child rights
violation in the rural areas, the reasons are one
is an uneducation and illiteracy and other not easy
accessibility of the media as well as availability
of media in the rural remote areas of the district
Nawabshah.
The print as well as electronic media has only
highlighted the child labour issues in the urban
areas at the large scale, such as the carpet
industries etc, but hundred of thousands children
have been involved in the laboring in the rural
areas such is the herding, cultivating the seasonal
crops, and other physical work, but the media is
deadly calm on these child rights violations, he
complained.
He appealed to the civil society organizations that
they should come forward to rescue the silent
slavery of the innocent children in the rural
areas, where there future and lives have been sold
by their greedy and uneducated parents, and also by
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the so called bourgeois class who always wants to
chain the poor community through economic
exploitation and getting the innocent children of
the proletariat class in under their cruel rule.
4. Recommendation
To launch awareness campaign for the child rightseducation especially in the remote and backward
areas of Nawabshah district,
To advocacy and lobbing for the child rights atthe local and district level with different
stakeholders
To advocacy with the parents regarding theemotional and socio-educational development areasof children especially of the rural area
To chalk out strategy to collectively combatcrime against children in the local area
To Sensitize and training of the school teachersfor the child rights and child development issues
in the rural areas
To establish a child rights watch group at thedistrict level to look after the violent
incidents and steps to control the violent act
against the children in the district.
Recommended